Guest Blogger – Natalie Herman: Sleep consultant talks babies and fighting jet lag!

Natalie Herman is known to many parents around the world as the giver of sleep! An internationally acclaimed baby sleep consultant, she has solved sleep issues for parents living in Europe, U.S, the Middle East and Australia.

Natalie is a mum and that’s why we love her. Her approach is based on her actual experiences with her own child and her honest opinions on how to restore harmony to the home by helping parents to raise well-rested kids.

We heard on the grapevine that Natalie had returned this year to Australia to be closer to family and interviewed her for her professional opinion on travelling with children and dealing with the dreaded jet lag.

Here’s what Natalie had to say!

Natalie’s tips for travelling with baby and dealing with jet lag

1. If you are choosing to travel at night, ensure your baby gets a good amount of rest on the day of your flight. Avoid too much activity and over stimulation. Also ensure they are well hydrated.

2. On the day of your flight, do your normal bedtime routine ie: bath, dinner, pjs, and get your child ready for bed. If you have a baby younger than 2 years and you have a late flight, encourage your baby to sleep up until your flight in the pram. If your child is over 2 years of age, let them have some time to run around and expel energy right before the flight.

3. If possible always arrange a bassinet on the flight. Every airline has different weight requirements for the bassinet, so always check in advance so you are aware of your seating arrangements.

4. To encourage your child to sleep better on the flight, take their comforter, blanket and bed linen as this will remind them of home.

5. To avoid your baby getting sore ears at take off and landing, encourage them to suck on a bottle or on a pacifier until the plane is safely in the air.

6. When you arrive, get your baby acclimatized to the new time zone as quickly as possible. Start your normal routine according to the new time straight away. If you arrive at 7am and your baby normally has their first nap at 8.30am then stick to this schedule.

7. Travelling is very tiring for a baby so they will want to sleep all day. Avoid this by waking them at the end of what would be your regular nap cycle. Letting them sleep all day will negatively impact on their night sleep.

8. Make sure your baby gets sun exposure during the day. This will assist in making sure their body clock is restored as soon as possible.

9. Due to the fact that your baby will be very tired, they will likely not want to eat at their normal meal times. Encourage your baby to eat in order to avoid them waking at night from hunger.

10. Stick to your normal bedtime routine at least for the first few days when you arrive. Your baby will acclimatize quicker if they are not put too bed too late.

11. When your baby wakes up at night it’s best to sit quietly with them and try to re-settle them back to sleep. Avoid turning on lights, TV and over stimulating them. They are waking up due to jet lag and need your help to go back to sleep.

12. Avoid feeding your baby during the night if this is not part of your normal routine. Starting a pattern of feeding when your baby is not used to it, will mean that they get used to this routine and you will need to do gentle sleep training to correct the behaviors.

13. When you return from your holiday, start your normal routine as soon as possible and follow the above consistently.

14. If you are travelling longer distances, it’s normal for your baby to experience jet lag (5-7 days). It’s a good idea to plan your holiday around this so you are not spending your whole holiday with a jet lagged baby.

Details:

Natalie Herman is a leading sleep consultant. She offers valuable sleep advice and support to families and caregivers of children either 1 to 1 or via her website and members lounge which is supported by her new App. For more visit: www.natalieherman.com

Credits:

The opinions in this post are those of our guest blogger. This is not a sponsored post, just two mums sharing tips to help other families.

Comments?

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